Sunday Discussion Group

The polls will open on the east coast in less than 48 hours. We all have various hopes, fears, and expectations, but now it’s time to start making some predictions. Three top political analysts have already weighed in. Stuart Rothenberg says that Democrats are “most likely” to pick up 34 to 40 seats, “with slightly […]

‘When did it become us versus them?’

Vice President Dick Cheney was in Idaho this week, campaigning for some Republican candidates who are struggling in this traditionally-red state. When Coeur d’Alene businesswoman Melodee Watt heard the vice president was coming to North Idaho, she waited in line at GOP headquarters for a ticket. After all, as far as Watt was concerned, this […]

The Bush gang won’t know you, when you’re down and out

Obviously, in light of this week’s revelations, evangelist Ted Haggard is going to have some trouble keeping his old political allies. I suppose a guy learns who is real friends are after he’s been accused of having a meth-filled fling with a gay prostitute. Considering the fact that the president considers loyalty one of the […]

‘Rumsfeld must go’

It’s owned and operated by civilians, but the Army Times is a semi-official extension of the Pentagon. It exists to offer Army personnel news and analysis about military careers, benefits, and “issues impacting [troops’] professional advancement.” It also emphasizes “community information and active lifestyle features of interest to Army personnel and their families.” And yet, […]

Maybe they could torture them into signing a non-disclosure agreement…

I suspect we’ve reached the pinnacle of through-the-looking-glass Bush policies. The president’s lawyers believe administration officials should have the power to seize suspects, put them in secret CIA prisons, torture them, and then, upon release, censor their ability to tell anyone about what happened to them. Kleiman called this “brutally insane.” I can’t think of […]

This Week in God

The God machine was busier than usual this week trying to keep up with Ted Haggard’s “indiscretions,” but now that his career is left in tatters, it’s worth taking a moment to get to know his replacement. Meet Rod Parsley, perhaps best known for his role in Ohio’s right-wing Restoration Project, and his desire to […]

The prophet says I cannot take you to White Bear Lake

Guest Post by Morbo A few months ago, I wrote a smart-alecky post about pharmacists who refuse to fill birth-control prescriptions because of their religious beliefs. I asserted that we should support them and then find similarly bogus reasons for refusing to do our jobs while still getting paid. I should have realized that in […]

Quick, somebody find me an activist judge!

Guest Post by Morbo Scott L. Rolle is a Republican running for attorney general in Maryland. His candidacy is faltering, and polls show that Democrat Douglas F. Gansler is cruising to an easy victory. How is Rolle reacting? Is he working overtime to connect with voters or retooling his campaign? Nope. He’s quietly pushing a […]

Friday’s Mini-Report

Today’s edition of quick hits. * Time reported last night that U.S. Sgt. Santos Cardona, a military dog handler convicted for his role in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, was ordered back to Iraq to help train Iraqi security forces. It was one of those decisions that seemed to defy any notion of common sense […]

Bush gang fans out with inane defense for leaking nuclear secrets

I certainly don’t envy the vaunted White House communications operation today. I mean, really — how does one explain carelessly publishing classified nuclear secrets online, over the advice of intelligence experts, to make some right-wing congressmen and blogs happy? Indeed, this is, surprisingly enough, becoming a fairly big story today. Not Kerry-misses-a-word-in-a-joke big, but thanks […]